33 years of age and match-winner for Manchester United in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals vs. Barcelona. Paul Scholes the gladiator. Paul Scholes the veteran. Paul Scholes the long-range specialist: his 14th minute strike from 25 yards (after a messy clearance by Zambrotta) was the only goal of the night, as the Red Devils advance to Moscow for the first ever fully Premiership-coloured Champions League final in the tournament's history.
Sir Alex Ferguson may have been criticized for his overly defensive tactics in Europe, but in the end, who can blame him for his achievements? His team has conceded only 1 goal in the entire knock-out round of the competion (the 1-1 away match to Lyon), and has qualified for the tournament final. People have often criticized Italian clubs for playing defensive football, but it works. As AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti once said: "If you want entertainment, go to the cinema". 'Nuff said.
Tactically, Sir Alex Ferguson was dealing with two very big problems at the start of tonight's match: no Nemanja Vidic, but more importantly no Wayne Rooney. With the young striker picking up a muscle strain in the match vs. Chelsea last week-end, the United manager was forced to change his tactics a bit and field a 4-4-2 formation, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez lone strikers and Owen Hargreaves once again in the right-back position. On the other end, Barça coach Frank Rijkaard stuck to his original plan: no Thierry Henry (benched), striking trio formed by Andres Iniesta, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, just like in the first leg.
To be perfectly honest, as the match started the first few minutes of weren't exactly promising. Tension and anticipation were big for this one, but much like the first leg at the Nou Camp both teams were "afraid" of pushing forward too much, in particular the Red Devils who had to avoid the dreaded "away goal" at all costs. However amidst all the prudence, there was one player who seemed to be saying: "Screw this, I came here to play some attacking football" and that player was Lionel Messi: his constant runs and accelerations gave considerable trouble to the United defense initially, until minute 14 struck.
(article continues)
Original Story:
http://www.mcalcio.com/manchester-united....
Sir Alex Ferguson may have been criticized for his overly defensive tactics in Europe, but in the end, who can blame him for his achievements? His team has conceded only 1 goal in the entire knock-out round of the competion (the 1-1 away match to Lyon), and has qualified for the tournament final. People have often criticized Italian clubs for playing defensive football, but it works. As AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti once said: "If you want entertainment, go to the cinema". 'Nuff said.
Tactically, Sir Alex Ferguson was dealing with two very big problems at the start of tonight's match: no Nemanja Vidic, but more importantly no Wayne Rooney. With the young striker picking up a muscle strain in the match vs. Chelsea last week-end, the United manager was forced to change his tactics a bit and field a 4-4-2 formation, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez lone strikers and Owen Hargreaves once again in the right-back position. On the other end, Barça coach Frank Rijkaard stuck to his original plan: no Thierry Henry (benched), striking trio formed by Andres Iniesta, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, just like in the first leg.
To be perfectly honest, as the match started the first few minutes of weren't exactly promising. Tension and anticipation were big for this one, but much like the first leg at the Nou Camp both teams were "afraid" of pushing forward too much, in particular the Red Devils who had to avoid the dreaded "away goal" at all costs. However amidst all the prudence, there was one player who seemed to be saying: "Screw this, I came here to play some attacking football" and that player was Lionel Messi: his constant runs and accelerations gave considerable trouble to the United defense initially, until minute 14 struck.
(article continues)
Original Story:
http://www.mcalcio.com/manchester-united....
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